The Conversation

About one-third of the food Americans buy is wasted, hurting the climate and consumers' wallets

Written by Brian E. Roe, Professor of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics, The Ohio State University

Wasted food – and land, labor, chemicals, water and energy.ATU Images via Getty Images

You saw it at Thanksgiving, and you’ll likely see it at your next holiday feast: piles of unwanted food – unfinished second helpings, underwhelming kitchen experiments and the like – all dressed up with no place to go, except the back of...

Christmas trees can stay fresh for weeks – a well-timed cut and consistent watering are key

Written by Curtis VanderSchaaf, Assistant Professor of Forestry, Mississippi State University

Some tips can help your tree look as good as it did on the lot for longer.The Good Brigade/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Every year somewhere between 25 million and 30 million Christmas trees are sold in the United States. If you’re one of the people who decorate for the holiday with a freshly cut Christmas tree, you might be wondering how...

Sinema out, Warnock in – Democrats narrowly control the Senate and Republicans the House, but gridlock won't be the biggest problem for the new Congress

Written by Matt Harris, Assistant Professor, Political Science, Park University

Will gridlock mean the new Congress won't get anything done?mathisworks/Getty Images

In the wake of the 2022 U.S. midterm elections, a general sense of the political landscape in the upcoming 118th Congress has taken shape. With Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s announcement that she is leaving the Democratic Party and Sen. Raphael Warnock’s...

What is voluntary sterilization? A health communication expert unpacks how a legacy of forced sterilization shapes doctor-patient conversations today

Written by Elizabeth Hintz, Assistant Professor of Health Communication, University of Connecticut

Conversations between patients and their doctors about permanent birth control procedures can at times be fraught and influenced by long-standing stigmas.Courtney Hale/E+ via Getty Images

Sterilization is a safe and effective form of permanent birth control used by more than 220 million couples around the world. Despite its prevalence, however,...

Near record-high numbers of young people voted during the midterms, signaling a possible shift – or exception – in voting trends

Written by Abby Kiesa, Deputy Director at CIRCLE, Tufts University

People line up to cast early ballots during the 2022 election at the University of Michigan. Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images

The November 2022 midterms have come and gone, but there are still some potential lasting implications that could influence the next election season.

One is that young people, aged 18 to 29, had one of the highest voter...

China's new space station opens for business in an increasingly competitive era of space activity

Written by Eytan Tepper, Visiting Assistant Professor of Space Governance, Indiana University

Three taikonauts rode aboard the Shenzhou 15 mission on their way to China's new Tiangong space station.Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images

The International Space Station is no longer the only place where humans can live in orbit.

On Nov. 29, 2022, the Shenzhou 15 mission launched from China’s Gobi Desert carrying three taikonauts – the...

Georgia on the nation's mind: 5 essential reads

Written by Howard Manly, Race + Equity Editor, The Conversation US

Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia waves to a crowd on election night.Win McNamee/Getty Images

Shortly after his reelection on Dec. 6, 2022, Rev. Raphael Warnock talked about his political journey in a state better known for its racist history of suppressing the Black vote.

“I am Georgia,” Warnock said. “A living example and...

Ada Lovelace's skills with language, music and needlepoint contributed to her pioneering work in computing

Written by Corinna Schlombs, Associate Professor of History, Rochester Institute of Technology

Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, was more than just another mathematician.Watercolor portrait of Ada King, Countess of Lovelace by Alfred Edward Chalon via Wikimedia

Ada Lovelace, known as the first computer programmer, was born on Dec. 10, 1815, more than a century before digital electronic computers were developed.

Lovelace has been hailed as a...

How do floating wind turbines work? 5 companies just won the first US leases for building them off California's coast

Written by Matthew Lackner, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, UMass Amherst

Northern California has some of the strongest offshore winds in the U.S., with immense potential to produce clean energy. But it also has a problem. Its continental shelf drops off quickly, making building traditional wind turbines directly on the seafloor costly if not impossible.

Once water gets more than about 200 feet deep – roughly the...

Amid coup, countercoup claims – what really went down in Peru and why?

Written by Eduardo Gamarra, Professor of Politics and International Relations, Florida International University

Clashes on the streets of Peru.Ernesto Benavides/AFP via Getty Images)

Peru has a new president following the ouster of former leader Pedro Castillo at the hands of the country’s Congress.

His removal followed an attempt by Castillo to cling to power by dissolving a Congress intent on impeaching him. Castillo’s opponents accused him of...